LLANDUDNO Athletic booked their place in the Premier Cup second round with a hard-fought 2-1 triumph at Rhos United.

Rhys Lane’s men recovered well in the closing stages to book their place in the hat despite a spirited display from the home side, who were dealt an early setback when a dominant spell of possession presented a chance to Ash McKinstry, who made no mistake with the finish to give the visitors a slender advantage.

Both sides had good chances to impact the score further throughout the remainder of the first period but lacked the final product to see their respective opportunities wasted.

After the break saw United grow more into the game and they were rewarded with an equaliser on 80 minutes when Ben Wheeler made the most of the space afforded to him and level proceedings.

There was still time for further drama, which arrived on 83 and went in favour of the away side thanks to an Alex Stokes finish, and they held firm in the face of some unrelenting pressure late on to seal victory.

Also through to the next stage of the competition are Llanfairfechan Town, who emerged from their tricky home tie with Llanelwy Athletic with a 4-2 success.

In-form Harry Croston was once again one of the standout performers on the day and helped himself to a brace to play a leading role in his side’s win, with Ellis Jones and Sion Devereux also on target for the Vale of Clwyd and Conwy League Premier Division title contenders.

Athletic gave the home side a real run for their money throughout, but a two-goal salvo from Steve Kirk was not enough for them to salvage anything from the contest.